The Other One Whom Joyce Loved
by filmFreak1
Summary: Repost of a story I wrote a few years ago. Spoilers for Season 5 of Buffy and Season 2 of Angel. After Joyce's death, Lilah Morgan visits her grave and recalls the tragic relationship they had over the years, beginning in college. Femslash. Contains sexual content and language.
1. Do you remember how we first met?

**Title:** The Other One Whom Joyce Loved

**Disclaimer: **I only mess around with them, I don't own them and I certainly don't make money from them. They all belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc.

**Rated:** eventually M for sex

**Summary: **Spoilers for Season 5 of Buffy and Season 2 of Angel. After Joyce's death, a former lover visits her grave and recalls the relationship they had over the years, beginning in college. Contains femslash. AU, I guess, though it's not entirely implausible within the established Buffyverse. Originally posted under the title "A Lasting Love". Reposted with numerous revisions, both grammatical and stylistic, as well as additional dialogue and other elements.

**Feedback: **Yes, please! I welcome criticism as long as it's constructive.

_April, 2001_

_Sunnydale, California_

She was wearing a navy blue business suit, with a jacket and a skirt that came up just above the knee. Underneath the jacket she wore a white blouse. She wasn't entirely sure if the outfit was the most appropriate one for the purpose of her trip, but she did try to look her best. In one hand, she carried a bouquet of roses; in the other, a small bottle of wine.

She entered the cemetery and cut through the rows of gray and white headstones. She knew the approximate location of the one she was looking for, but it still took ten minutes of searching before she finally found it.

She had wanted to attend the funeral, but had decided against it, because she knew that the ceremony might also be attended by an enemy from back home; after all, the friends and family of the deceased had rather close connections with that enemy, and the last thing she needed was to have people recognize her and wonder what she was doing all the over here in Sunnydale. Thus, she had decided to come a few days later instead, and it was why she stood before the gravesite now.

The headstone was a light gray; rather simple, but it worked. The inscription read as follows:

**JOYCE SUMMERS**

**1958-2001**

**BELOVED MOTHER**

She laid the roses on the ground directly in front of the headstone. She looked around the cemetery, making sure no one was nearby. Then she sat down on the ground next to the plot; the fact that the skirt would probably get dirt and grass stains on it was the least of her concerns at the moment.

Setting the bottle of wine next to her, she hugged her knees to her chest and stared at the inscription on the headstone for several minutes. Finally, she started speaking.

"Hello, Joyce. It's been a while. I've missed you, you know that? How have you been?" She paused briefly, almost expecting the headstone to reply to her question. "I've been doing alright, I suppose. Work has been very…stressful, lately, but there was no way I wasn't going to make time to visit you.

"I know that I'm an evil person, and I partly blame you for that, but that will never change the fact that I loved you…that I _still_ love you. I just hope that you're happy wherever you are. I wish I could tell you that I would join you there one day, but that would be a lie." She paused again for a moment.

"I would have given it all up for you; you know that, right? I would have _married_ you...if it were legal here." She smiled. "I guess we could have gone to the Netherlands – I heard in the news recently that they just became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage."

She crossed her legs so that she was now sitting Indian-style, smoothed her skirt, and continued.

"Hell, if we had gotten married, I would have even added your last name to mine. Mrs. Lilah Morgan-Summers. I love the sound of that."

Taking out a handkerchief from her breast pocket, she dabbed at her left eye.

"Do you remember how we first met?"


	2. You must be my new roommate

_August, 1979_

_Los Angeles, California_

Joyce had just moved back into her dorm, putting sheets on her bed and hanging her clothes in the closet. She had brought various art-related items from home, namely a few paintings (two of which had been done by her) and several textbooks relating to subjects such as sculpture and drawing techniques. The paintings hung on the wall next to her bed, while the textbooks sat on the bookshelf on the wall above her desk. She was wearing an oversized gray sweater and faded blue jeans, as well as a Purdey hairstyle (similar to that worn by Princess Diana at the time).

The room itself was certainly not the Hilton, but it was decent, especially for a room in a girl's dormitory at UCLA, not to mention cheaper than many of them; it was cramped, but no more so than most rooms on campus. She had stayed in this dorm before, and had not seen much reason to live elsewhere this year.

The person occupying the side of the room next to the window had already moved in, apparently; Joyce was relieved that the roommate had chosen the window side, as it had given her the wall on which the paintings now hung. From what Joyce could tell, her roommate was a very organized person. The bed was neatly made, and the bookshelf was completely occupied by textbooks sorted in alphabetical order by title. They were all related to the areas of law and politics. A political science major? Or criminal justice, perhaps? Whatever her roommate's area of study was, she seemed devoted to it, judging by the size of the collection.

Joyce's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door open behind her, and she turned to see a young brunette enter the room. She was about Joyce's height, and her hair was shoulder-length, with bangs covering her forehead. She wore a black mini-skirt (revealing long, tan, athletic legs that must have left many a man drooling) and a sleeveless black top. She looked at Joyce in surprise, and then smiled. Joyce found her beauty to be breathtaking.

Approaching Joyce, the brunette held out her hand. "You must be my new roommate."

Joyce shook her hand, and nodded. "Hello, I'm Joyce Young."

"Lilah Morgan." The brunette's eyes sparkled. "Joyce…that's a pretty name." From what Joyce could tell, Lilah seemed genuine in her compliment, and not attempting to merely flatter her or be polite.

Joyce giggled a little. "Thank you! It's great to meet you, Lilah; you have a pretty name, too!"

Lilah smiled at the blond woman, then looked at her side of the room. "Did you paint those?"

Joyce pointed to the two paintings closest to the head of her bed. "Just those two."

"Wow, you're really talented! Are you an art major?"

"Yes, I'm getting ready to start my senior year. And you?"

"Sophomore, pre-law," replied Lilah.

Neither of them would have guessed at this point in time just how much this meeting would affect both of them for the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

_A bit of trivia: Kristine Sutherland's (actress who played Joyce in the series) original last name was Young, so as a subtle tribute, I used this as Joyce's maiden name._

_I posted this story a few years back, but took it down later because I did not believe it to be all that good. Looking at it recently, I decided that it was worthy of salvaging, provided I did a bit of revising. Some of the revisions are merely grammatical, others stylistic. Additionally, I am making additions and changes to scenes throughout for the benefit of the story. I hope the original fans like it still, and I also hope I pick up a few new ones along the way. :-)_

_As any author on the FF site will tell you, feedback is appreciated._


	3. I want to ask you something

_September, 1979_

_Los Angeles, California_

Class had been in session for over a month now, and Joyce and Lilah had quickly become the best of friends. They went out together often, usually on weekends and Wednesday nights (Joyce had no classes on Thursday, and Lilah's did not begin until the afternoon); in fact, just yesterday, they had caught a showing of _Alien_ at a theater that was still playing it. They were both doing well in their classes, although Lilah's required more work than Joyce's; studying to be a lawyer was never meant to be easy.

Occasionally, Joyce's fiancée came by the room. He was a handsome, muscular man with short blond hair; his name was Henry Summers. He was in his senior year as a business major, and he lived off-campus in an apartment. Joyce had introduced Lilah to Hank near the start of classes. Although Lilah acted friendly toward him, Joyce could not help but feel that for some reason, Lilah was hiding a strong dislike of him. She never asked Lilah whether or why this was the case.

Today, Joyce was telling Lilah about when she had met Hank's parents for the first time; she was sitting on her bed with her hands in her lap, and Lilah had pulled up her chair and was sitting down facing Joyce.

"It was just after he had proposed," said Joyce. "I kept insisting that since we were engaged and his parents were going to be involved in the wedding, it would be best if I met them as soon as possible. He kept putting it off, making excuses, but finally gave in when I kept begging him."

"Any idea why?" asked Lilah.

"His parents are very conservative, devout Catholics. I remember he told me once that they nearly disowned him when he chose to attend a state university instead of a Catholic one. Thankfully, their priest calmed them down and talked them out of it when they brought the issue to him."

"Let me guess," replied Lilah. "You're not Catholic?"

"No, my family attended a rather liberal Presbyterian church when I was growing up."

"Is Hank as strong in his faith as his parents?"

Joyce shook her head. "No. I'm not sure if his parents still think he is or not. He goes to Mass with them whenever he goes home for the weekend, but that's about it."

Lilah nodded. "Ah, I see. So, you were saying you finally convinced him to let you meet his parents?"

"Right. They live a couple hours from here. We made plans to meet them for dinner at their house. However, as the date got closer, I got more and more nervous. I was so scared that they would hate me. When the date finally came, and we arrived at their home, I saw that he wasn't joking about their devotion. It seemed like there were crucifixes and icons everywhere you went in the house. I had never been more nervous in my life."

"You poor girl!" exclaimed Lilah. "So how did it go in the end?"

Joyce smiled. "Amazingly, I survived. They acted very nice and polite; asked me about my classes and my plans for after college, where I was from, my family, that sort of thing. At one point, though, his dad inquired in a not-so-subtle way as to whether I was planning to enroll in RCIA—that's the class for adults who are thinking of converting to the Catholic Church."

"How did you respond?" asked Lilah.

"I didn't. Before I could answer, Hank said something about the food being great, and then his mother said it was time for dessert. It didn't come up again. I think I may seen Hank's mother giving his dad a look, like she was quietly asking him to leave it alone; I guess he got the message. Overall though, his parents were very nice people. We left shortly after finishing dessert. Hank told me later that they liked me, and would not object to our marriage...although they're still hoping that he'll eventually convert me."

"It sounds like you had quite the evening," replied Lilah, smiling. The brunette paused for a moment, took a breath, and then said, "Listen, Joyce...I want to ask you something."

"Sure." Joyce had noticed that Lilah always expressed what she was thinking. That was part of what she liked about the brunette; she was genuine in everything she said and did. Nevertheless, she was not expecting the next question that came from Lilah's mouth.

"Joyce, are you really sure that you love Hank?" Joyce was so surprised by the question that she did not answer for a few seconds.

"Well, um…yes, of course. I mean, after all, I'm getting married to him this summer…what kind of question is that?"

"I don't mean to pry," replied Lilah, "but from what I can tell based on what I've seen of the two of you, the chemistry just isn't there. I know I could be wrong, and Hank seems to be a wonderful man, but I'm not sure you two are right for each other, and as your friend, I'm concerned. I have to ask: are you sure this marriage is meant to happen?"

Joyce was offended by the implications of Lilah's question and was about to make this very clear, but was silenced when the brunette reached over and gently took the blonde's left hand into her right. Joyce opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again; instead she found herself staring into Lilah's eyes.

The moment ended when they heard the door open. The two women quickly pulled their hands away from each other as Hank entered the room.

"Hank! Hi, honey!" Joyce smiled up at her fiancée.

"Hello, Joyce." He nodded toward Lilah. "Hi, Lilah."

Lilah smiled and nodded back. "You need to learn to knock, Hank. We could have been doing anything in here." Hank didn't see Joyce cringe when Lilah said this.

"Yeah, well, that's why they put locks on the doors," replied the blond man, smiling. He turned back to Joyce. "I was wondering if you'd like to catch an evening showing of _Apocalypse Now_; I hear it's supposed to be amazing."

"Sure, Hank, I'd love to go." Joyce wasn't really a big fan of war films, but she needed an excuse to get out of the room for a while. She put on her jacket and left with her fiancée, leaving Lilah by herself in the room.

The reason that Lilah Morgan could still recall these events twenty-two years later was this: although neither of them would have admitted it at the time (even to themselves), it was that moment, that brief moment when they held hands, that each of them realized for the first time that the feelings they had for each other went beyond friendship.

**Author's Note**

_Just to give you notice, I will probably be taking this story up to an M rating next chapter. That may or may not give you a hint as to what's going to happen._

_In the original version of the story, I had Joyce tell how she and Hank met at the prom (as mentioned in the series); I decided to come up with a new story to provide a speculative bit of background for her and Hank._

_You may have noticed that each chapter is named after a line of dialogue from that chapter. I decided to borrow this practice from the TV show Damages, which has its episodes named in this manner._

_If you like this story, please provide feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome as well, whether you like the story or not. Thanks!_


	4. The Angel and The Devil

_Halloween, 1979_

_Los Angeles, California_

"Can you help me with the wings?" asked Joyce.

"Sure." Lilah walked over and helped Joyce put the harness on, then straightened the wings out. "Let's see how it looks." They walked over to the mirror.

What they saw amazed them. Joyce looked stunning in her angel costume. The harness around her shoulders was white like the robe she wore, so that the straps would not be too visible. The wings which were held in place on her back by the harness were made from synthetic feathers so that they appeared to be real. Around her head Joyce wore a gold-colored headband to serve as a halo.

"Joyce…you're beautiful," Lilah whispered in Joyce's ear, amazed. Joyce was speechless; she could not believe that she and Lilah (who had suggested the outfit in the first place) had been able to create such an amazing costume. They stared into the mirror for another moment.

Finally, Joyce turned and said, "Alright, Lilah, so now that Halloween is here, what are you dressing up as?" She had been trying to find out the brunette's costume for the last two weeks, but could not pry it out of her.

Lilah gave Joyce one of her sly (and rather evil in appearance) smiles. "It's still a surprise, Joyce. I don't want you to see it until I'm wearing it, so I need you to step into the hallway for about five minutes." Joyce gave an exaggerated sigh of frustration and did as Lilah said. She closed the door behind her and waited; a few other girls in the dorm who happened to be passing by looked at her with envy and complimented her on the costume.

Finally, Joyce heard her roommate tell her she could come in. When she did, she gasped at what she saw.

Lilah's red outfit did not leave much to the imagination. Her red nylon hot pants left her thighs fully exposed; in fact, they were so brief and tight that if they had been any smaller, they would have been bikini bottoms. A red cloth strip was sewn to the back of the hot pants so that it resembled a tail, and a red cloth triangle was sewn to the other end, which swung around just a few inches above her ankles. Her tight, red halter top revealed her belly button and well-toned abs, as well as an absurd amount of cleavage. Her red leather boots came up to her knees, and her red gloves similarly came up to her elbows. A headband with two red horns glued to it sat on her head. In short, Lilah had dressed up as the Devil…and a very sexy one, indeed. Joyce suddenly felt as though the temperature of the room had been turned up several degrees.

"So, what do you think?" asked Lilah, putting on her sly smile. "I thought our costumes would go well together. You know, the angel and the devil?"

"Does this mean we need to stand on someone's shoulders, telling them good or bad things to do?" asked Joyce, smiling. "Lilah, you look...incredible. I can't think of any other way to describe it. Now I know why you kept insisting that I should dress up as an angel for Halloween."

As they left the dormitory and headed toward the parking lot, Joyce walked behind Lilah, trying hard (and very unsuccessfully) to avoid staring at Lilah's backside as it moved in rhythm with the steps taken by its owner. _Good god, her ass is peeking out from under those hot pants. I could watch her walk like that forever. _Joyce realized what she was thinking, and mentally chastised herself. _Don't even think it, Joyce! You know you don't swing that way! Besides, she's your roommate and your best friend, and you're supposed to be getting married soon._

Lilah drove a green Pontiac Catalina which her mother had bought her secondhand two years ago as a graduation present. It was a nice-looking but large car with one door on each side. Joyce had to lean forward in the passenger seat to avoid crushing the wings while Lilah drove.

They were headed for the Iron Unicorn, a dance club located downtown. Tonight, the club was hosting a Halloween party for UCLA students; anyone eighteen and above was invited. Hank would have joined the two women for the party, but he was out of town interviewing for an internship.

They knew the Iron Unicorn was going to be crowded when they had to park a few blocks away from the club. As they walked, Joyce made sure to stay ahead this time so as to avoid the temptation to stare. _Damn that devil costume, _she thought.

The bouncers at the Iron Unicorn entrance were putting red paper wristbands on anyone aged twenty-one or older so the bartenders would know to whom they could serve alcohol, but didn't even ask for IDs when it was Joyce and Lilah's turn (this was a good thing for Lilah, who had not yet even turned twenty); the two women knew they had the costumes to thank for that. Inside, the dance floor was nearly filled by other students dressed as vampires, cowboys, monsters, and other things. Suspended above the floor was a rotating disco ball, creating small pieces of light that revolved around the center of the floor.

They found a table nearby, and Lilah ordered drinks. Lilah snickered when Joyce's face wrinkled up after tasting hers.

"Wow, this stuff is strong!" exclaimed the blonde. "You sure this wasn't intended for powering car engines or something?"

The song ended, and another started playing. Lilah's face lit up.

"Ooh! Joyce, we have to dance to this one!"  
"'The Monster Mash'? Come on, Lilah, it's a dumb song!"

"Yes, it's dumb, but it's still fun! Let's dance!"

"Oh, all right!" Joyce replied with mock frustration.

Joyce didn't know if it was her drink that did it, or just being with Lilah, but when the two of them went out on the floor, she was able to dance without caring what anyone else thought. Their matching costumes (particularly Lilah's) did not fail to draw many pairs of eyes in their direction.

A few hours and numerous songs later, Joyce and Lilah finally walked out of the club; each of them was laughing and had an arm around the other.

"Come on, Joyce, we should get back to the dorm, let's find the car," said Lilah.

"It's over there; I remember coming from that direction when we went to the club," said Joyce, pointing.

As they walked to the parking lot, Lilah looked at the other students leaving the Iron Unicorn. She noticed in particular a rather short and slightly heavyset young man (he appeared to be about her age) with dark, curly hair and thick-frame glasses who was walking by himself—apparently not the social, frat-boy type. His costume included, among other things, a long, brown coat with a shirt and vest underneath, a wide brimmed hat, and a really long multicolored scarf which was wrapped around his neck, yet with both ends nearly dragging on the ground.

"I like your costume!" she said to the young man, smiling. "Doctor Who, right?"

The young man, initially startled, turned toward Lilah and replied awkwardly, "Y-yes, m-ma'am, T-t-t-Tom Baker's Doctor Who. Th-th-thank you." He seemed unable to look Lilah in the eyes, perhaps due to the skimpy costume she still wore. He turned and started walking away in the direction in which he was originally headed.

Joyce noticed that the young man's stutter seemed to give Lilah pause. She only had a moment to wonder about this before Lilah started walking after him, pulling Joyce with her.

"Hey! Wait!" shouted Lilah, causing the young man to turn back. "What's your name?"

"M-M-Michael," the young man stammered, looking between the two women; he seemed to be doing his hardest to not look down below Lilah's neck.

_Well, at least he knows how to act like a gentleman,_ thought Joyce.

"You go to UCLA, Michael?" asked Lilah.

Michael nodded.

"What year and major?"

"F-f-freshm-man. E-electrical e-e-eng-g-gineering."

Lilah nodded. "How much have you had to drink tonight, Michael?"

"N-none. I don't d-drink; I don't l-l-like the t-taste of al-alcohol."

"Well, Michael, I'm afraid my roommate and I _do_ drink…a little too much, in fact, so…how would you like to drive us back to our dorm?"

"It-it's a l-long way to w-walk b-b-back..." he struggled to say.

"We've got a payphone near the dorm, you can call a taxi!" said Lilah. Then she walked over to him.

Leaning forward, she whispered in the young man's ear, "Tell you what. If you drive us, I'll give you the best kiss you've ever had in your life." Stepping back, she smiled slyly, dangling the keys in front of her. "Pretty please?"

Michael looked between the two women, a grin starting to form, but only barely. Then he turned back to Lilah and said, "Okay."

Since Lilah's car only had a total of two doors, Joyce had to take her harness off and get into the back by leaning the front passenger seat forward and crawling through the space. Lilah rode shotgun, giving directions to Michael as he drove. Joyce saw Lilah reach into the glove compartment and take out a napkin and a pen, which she used to write something on the napkin.

When Michael had finally parked in the lot near the dorm, the three of them got out; Joyce held her wings by the harness in one hand.

"Thank you very much, Michael," said Lilah. "I know what I promised you, but there's something else I want to give you first." She handed him the napkin. "This is the number of an excellent speech therapist I know; he'll be able to help you with that nasty stutter of yours. Tell him that Lilah referred you; he'll give you a great discount rate for the sessions. Promise me that you'll call him?"

"Okay. I p-promise. Th-thank you," he replied.

Stepping forward, Lilah reached up and cupped Michael's face in her hands. "Now to fulfill that promise," she whispered as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. The kiss lasted only a matter of seconds, but it seemed much longer. Joyce had to suppress a laugh when she saw Michael's eyes grow wider than she thought possible.

A moment later, Lilah stepped back and pointed to her left. "The pay phone is over there. Good luck to you, Michael. You seem really sweet." Michael slowly turned to his right and walked away, glancing back over his shoulder once. Joyce could have sworn she saw an extra skip in his step.

Only a few seconds had passed when Lilah shouted, "Hey, Michael!"

When the young man once again turned to face her, she said, "Here's a little something extra to remember me by!" As she said this, she lifted up her halter top, exposing her breasts to both him and Joyce.

Joyce had glimpsed Lilah's breasts a few times before, whenever the brunette had changed in front of her in their room, but this was the first time she had really _looked _at them_._ They were so..._perfect_. She wanted to walk over and—_stop it, Joyce, it's wrong to think that!_

After Michael had been staring open-mouthed for several seconds, Lilah said "Nice, aren't they?" while smiling. This made Michael realize what he was doing, and he immediately turned his face down to look at the ground as he blushed. "See you around, Michael," said Lilah, still smiling. Then she pulled her halter top back down.

A minute later, as Lilah and Joyce were approaching the dorm's entrance, Joyce said, "You know, it's a funny thing, but I don't remember either of us having any more drinks after the first one we had when we first went into the club a few hours ago."

"That's because we didn't," replied Lilah.

"Then would you mind explaining what the hell that was all about?" asked Joyce. "Why did you tell him we were drunk when you know we weren't? I mean seriously...asking a complete stranger to drive us, giving him a therapist's number, then flashing him?!"

"I wanted to help him. He reminded me a lot of myself," replied Lilah.

"...what? How did _he _remind _you_ of _yourself _?" asked Joyce, perplexed.

"I used to have a stutter when I was younger, worse than his, even."

Really?" asked Joyce, surprised. "You're the best person I've ever met when it comes to talking to others!"

Lilah nodded. "I was great when it came to the written word. I always scored top grades on essays. I even had stories published in the regional newspaper; under a pseudonym of course, since no one would have believed that a thirteen year old girl could have written those stories. But I was completely out of my element when it came to actually verbalizing anything. I never understood why fate was so cruel that it would give me such a amazing ability with words but no ability to voice them without stumbling on every single word. Thankfully, my mom decided one day that enough was enough, and she found me a speech therapist, the same one I recommended to Michael just a few minutes ago. I wouldn't be where I am now if it weren't for him. I figured Michael deserved the same chance."

Joyce was initially left speechless by Lilah's story. She didn't say anything for a minute.

"Well...okay," said Joyce finally. "I guess that was nice of you to help him...really nice, as a matter of fact, and I can understand you kissing him, since he did go out of his way to get us back to the dorm...but what was up with the other part? Flashing your boobs at him, I mean? You were teasing the poor kid!"

"Maybe," said Lilah, grinning. "But think of it this way: at least he'll have something to brag about to his friends at their next Dungeons & Dragons meeting!"

Joyce had to give Lilah credit; even at her most meanspirited, she knew how to draw a laugh from anyone, as she did from Joyce at that moment.

The blonde had so far had the most fun that she had ever had that night. What she did not know was that the most memorable part of that same night was yet to come.


	5. You want this just as badly as I do

_Halloween night, 1979_

They finally made it back up to the room. Upon entering, Lilah pulled off her boots, gloves, and headband. With her back turned to Joyce, she started to remove her halter top—no doubt to change into her sleeping shirt, or so Joyce thought.

Joyce turned toward her own bed and took off her angel costume's white robe—she had been wearing a white tank top and a pair of blue jean shorts underneath—and tossed it on the bed. Then she turned around.

She was surprised to see Lilah standing there looking at her. More specifically, she was surprised to see Lilah standing there looking there, while wearing the red hot pants and nothing else. The brunette made no attempt whatsoever to cover her breasts, which Joyce could see in all their glory (for the second time that night, but this time up close)—_those perfect breasts, _thought Joyce, ashamed of herself for thinking so.

"Lilah? What's the matter? Why are—" Joyce was stopped mid-sentence when the brunette walked forward and kissed her gently on the lips. Then she took the blonde's hands in her own.

"Lilah..." was all Joyce could say..

"Shh," said Lilah. "It's okay, honey, I know."

"I don't understand."

"I've seen how you've been looking at me for the last several weeks, Joyce, and it's okay. I feel the same way."

Lilah let go of Joyce's hands and placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders, gently pushing her into a sitting position on her bed. Then she sat on the blonde's lap facing her, wrapping her legs around the blonde's body and resting her feet on the bed.

Lilah hugged Joyce's body to herself and kissed her again, this time more deeply. Joyce felt the brunette's tongue run lightly over her upper lip and teeth; in response, she parted her teeth to accept the tongue.

A few seconds later, however, Joyce placed her hands on Lilah's head and pushed her face away from her own. "Wait, Lilah, wait!"

"What's the matter?" asked Lilah. "You want this just as badly as I do, and you know it."

"You're right...I do." It felt strange to Joyce, admitting it out loud like this. "But I have a fiancee, Lilah. I'm going to be married in less than a year."

"Are you sure of that?" asked Lilah.

"What?"

Lilah got off of Joyce's lap and reseated herself next to her on the bed.

"We talked about this a few weeks ago. You didn't seem so sure that you really love Hank. Do you really want to risk an unhappy marriage with a man you don't love, when the true love of your life may have landed right in your lap...literally and otherwise?"

"Lilah..."

"Tell you what, honey. Let's give it a shot just for this one night. Forget about Hank, forget about everyone else in the world; as far as you're concerned they don't exist. For this one night, it's just you and me. If it turns out that you regret it in the morning...we go back to just being friends and roommates, and we'll never speak of it again. At least then we'd know for sure that we weren't meant to be. No reason Hank or anyone else ever has to know. Deal?"

Joyce did not respond for a moment as she thought it over. Then she nodded slowly. "Deal."

Lilah smiled. "I'm guessing you've never done it with a lady before?"

Joyce shook her head. "Have you?"

The brunette nodded. "A few. My first was a girl I met at church; she was the pastor's daughter. All I will say about that relationship is that it did not last very long. I heard recently that she's married and has a baby now. I also did it with two other girls during high school. One of them was the cheerleading captain, and I got to fuck her on prom night senior year, just a few hours after she was crowned prom queen. I had a girlfriend for a couple months last year; she was the first woman that I had during college. She claimed to be a lesbian; as it turned out, she was just 'going through a phase'." Lilah made quote marks using her fingers.

"And you? Are you a lesbian?" asked Joyce. "Because I'm not sure that I am."

Lilah shrugged. "Bi, I suppose. I've been with men, too. I guess I don't really use gender as a factor when figuring out who I want to be with."

She turned and looked at Joyce again. "So are we going to do this, or what?"

Joyce did not answer. Instead, she reached over and hooked her fingers in the waistline of the brunette's red hot pants and pulled them down. The blonde's eyes widened.

"Lilah! Did you forget to wear underwear tonight?"

Lilah smiled and replied, "I like going commando. You remember when we first met, when I was wearing that black mini-skirt? I wasn't wearing any underwear then, either."

"You are such a naughty, naughty girl!" giggled Joyce.

"Looks like I need to be punished," replied the brunette in her sultriest voice.

Joyce stood and quickly started removing the rest of her clothes. Lilah sat up and helped her. As the blonde pulled off her tank top and undid her bra, the brunette undid the blonde's belt before unzipping her jean shorts, revealing cotton panties underneath, and pulling both shorts and panties down to her ankles. Joyce, in turn, stepped out of them so that both she and the brunette were now completely naked.

Lilah pushed Joyce onto to the bed and then was on top of her; they kissed again, even more deeply than before. The blonde ran her hands down the brunette's back and over her rear. They were laying on top of the covers; if anyone had walked in at that moment, they would have been greeted with quite the show, and there would have been no doubt whatsoever as to what the two women were up to.

Joyce felt Lilah kissing her neck now and and running her hand over her left breast, then over her stomach, and then down between her thighs. As Joyce felt this, she continued to wonder in the back of her mind whether she would regret this encounter in the morning. She did not even want to think about what would happen if Hank were to ever find out.

These thoughts were interrupted when Lilah began putting her fingers to effective use. Joyce gasped.

_To hell with it,_ she thought as she began moaning in pleasure at Lilah's touch.

**Author's Note:**

_Several notable differences from my original posted version. Originally, this and the last chapter were one chapter. I added quite a bit of dialogue for Lilah, such as mentioning both her stuttering problem and sexual history to Joyce, and I also changed her Halloween costume (originally she was dressed as a cat and not as a devil). I also made the sex scene a little more explicit. I figured my audience would want a bit more in this regard _:)

_Please make sure to leave feedback…it is the only payment I get for writing this._


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